Thinking of blocking certain sites at your office to prevent your employees from doing their holiday shopping on your dime? According to a new study by Robert Half Technology, you wouldn't be alone: 60 percent of the chief information officers surveyed say their companies block sites like Amazon.com. Last year it was only 48 percent.
Just because you'd be among the majority doesn't mean you'd be effective, though.
You might be able to block their computers' access to Amazon, but you know those handy-dandy iPhones? They have Internet access. And guess what that Internet access can do. Are you there yet? Yes. They can shop online at their desks under the guise of "checking their voicemail" or "just making a quick dentist appointment." But if you start cracking down on that, well, it's likely to just rankle your employees rather than keep them on point.
If you recall, according to another study published over the summer, "distracting" tasks like fantasy football actually makes employees more productive than their non-lollygagging counterparts.
In other news, someone should really do a study on whether it's just a bunch of rogue minions doing these studies or what.
